Safeguarding

Safeguarding Statement / Child Protection

The welfare of children is of paramount importance and it is the responsibility of the school to safeguard all pupils. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We will act quickly and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice. Through their day-to-day contact with pupils and direct work with families, education staff have a crucial role to play in noticing indicators of possible abuse or neglect. Parents should be aware, therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a child may have been abused, the school is required, as part of local child protection procedures, to report their concerns to Social Care Direct immediately. The Acting Headteacher, Miss Michelle Davidson, is the designated teacher responsible for safeguarding, Mr Andrew Poppleton and Miss Kim Stones are Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads and Mrs Heather Baxter is the Designated Safeguarding Governor.

Safeguarding Statement / Safe Recruitment and Selection of Staff.

This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; therefore, all convictions must be declared. Providing false information is an offence. Appointed staff, governors, regular volunteers and trainees have identity, qualification and criminal records bureau checks and have been successfully cleared to work with children.

E-Safeguarding

The internet is an essential element in 21st century life for education, business and social interaction and the school has a duty to provide children and young people with quality access as part of their learning experience. It is the duty of the school to ensure that every child and young person in its care is safe. E-Safeguarding includes all aspects of technologies and electronic communications including tablets and mobile phones.

Prevent Strategy

What is the Prevent strategy?

The Prevent strategy is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It is intended to address all forms of terrorism whether from external or internal extremist threats including those associated with the extreme right who pose a continued threat to our safety and security.

Channel forms a key part of the Prevent strategy. The process is a multi-agency approach to identify and provide support to individuals who are at risk of being drawn into terrorism.

Our Designated Prevent Lead in school is the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

What do we do in school?

Many of the things we already do in school to help children become positive and happy members of society. In school we make sure we:

Provide a safe place for pupils to discuss issues so they better understand how to protect themselves.

Teach a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

Through our SEAL curriculum we teach children about the importance of making the right choices, being tolerant of others, valuing other's views and the need to respect similarities and differences.

We challenge negative attitudes and stereotypes.

We teach children about how they can keep themselves safe.

We use filters on the internet to make sure children can’t access unsuitable material, and we vet visitors who come into school to work with pupils.

We have three very simple school rules, which are referred to as our school rights. It is everyone's responsibility in the school to keep these rights.